August 6th, 2010
Number Nine[1]
I have written several articles on the seven types of waste that have been read by a lot of folks. Well now I’d like to expand those seven to nine. As you will see in this article in Six Sigma we are continuously trying to improve even Six Sigma’s tools and techniques. Here a user finds a need to define another type of waste. Why? Because, as Mr. Navetta puts it, categorizing another form of muda/ waste can help you eliminate it.
So my articles talked of seven and Mr. Navetta now has create number nine. What happen to eight? Well eight is a Toyota developed one called unused employee resources that I included in a category I called Inventories and/or other resources.
Number Nine is: “Material underutilization” Mr. Navetta describes it as leftover material once the material has been used. His example is the “skeletons” from a stamping machine which an excellence example. He says you may not know if it is truly a waste but tag it and find out. He mentions that the spacing could be due to closer would cause stress within the part. But I am with him, ask the question. It maybe that with a re-layout of the die one could get more pieces from the sheet.
But stamping is not the only place. Think about forms where we have multiple copies that are sent out. Many times processes get changed where fewer copies are needed and the number of copies is not changed. It is material that is under utilized and a waste. We will tend to throw the extra copy away rather than get the form changed.
Can you think of other situations that fit into this category of waste? Leaving a comment below, emailing me, call me, or leaving a comment on my website.
Great article kudos to Mr. Navetta
As always if, you have questions or comments please feel free to contact me by leaving a comment below, emailing me, calling me, or leaving a comment on my website.
Bersbach Consulting
Peter Bersbach
Six Sigma Master Black Belt
http://sixsigmatrainingconsulting.com
peter@bersbach.com
1.520.829.0090
[1] Jim Navetta, “Number Nine – Categorizing another form of muda can help you eliminate it,” Quality Progress, Vol. 43, No.8, August 2010, pp. 64,
Note: The website above is on the American Society for Quality website and to access it you need to be a member. But there are way to purchase the article from ASQ.
Tags: Seven Types of Waste
Great point.
I am no a chemist, but I could imagine, that there are a variety of chemical processes, which produce unwanted byproduct, which could be used.
How about the restuarant industrie? Cuts of food not beeing used?
What about marterials which are burned in some form or another and due to the burn process , tools, etc, might not fully burn
I like it. Some time ago, I worked in a restaurant and the chef would take all the ends of vegetables and leftover cuttings and put them into a soup listed on the menu as the chefs soup.